


Man Flu

by skargasm



Series: Abandon All Hope All Ye Who Enter or however that goes [7]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Human Derek Hale, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 08:26:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3112940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skargasm/pseuds/skargasm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek is pretty sure he's dying - after all the things that have tried to kill him, to be laid low by this was just tragic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Man Flu

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ronniemarie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ronniemarie/gifts).



His very bones were aching and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool. He could barely believe it—all of the things he had been through, and this might well be the thing that finished him off. Struggling into a slightly more upright position, Derek grabbed an unused crumpled tissue and blew his nose, wincing at the soreness—the skin around his nostrils was red raw and painful, and he wondered if there were any softer tissues available although he didn’t think he would ask. He already felt like too much of an imposition. But what else was he going to do? Fifteen in mind and body and human, feeling like he was dying—there was nowhere else he could go. With a heavy sigh, he pulled the blankets up towards his face and burrowed in deeper.

* * *

Tapping gently on the door, Melissa pushed it open and stepped quietly into the room. The occupant was merely a bundle of blankets and sheets, dark hair matted with sweat barely visible on the mound of pillows. Placing the bowl of soup on the bedside table, she sat down near the head of the bed, her hand automatically finding the fevered brow of the young man lying there. 

“Do you think you could manage some soup? It’s not home-made but I added noodles and Scott always used to say it made him feel better?” It wasn’t her imagination that he pressed his face into her gentle touch and she stroked his skin, all of her maternal instincts crying out for her to look after him. The Hale fire had been devastating for the community as a whole—she couldn’t imagine the horror of living through it, feeling responsible for it. She knew the bits that Scott had told her; what Stiles had let slip; what the Sheriff had filled her in on when the boys returned from Mexico, and she couldn’t help but think that more than anything this boy needed to be hugged and taken care of rather than chased and tortured. 

“Can I—would you just do this for a while?” The voice was almost timid, something she was still struggling to get used to after her dealings with ‘adult’ Derek. He always came across as such a self-possessed young man, angry and perhaps hard. To see him as the child was disconcerting yet made the man he was so much easier to understand. He had lost so much—when was the last time he had been coddled and taken care of the way his mother had no doubt done for him as a child?

“I would guess you’re not used to illnesses yourself—being a born wolf and all.”

“No—I didn’t really get sick. My human brothers and sisters got ill every now and then—I guess I wasn’t particularly sympathetic.” Melissa knew that Derek rarely talked about his family and was touched by his trust in her—he reminded her so much of Scott when he had been this age.

“No boy is sympathetic when another is ill—and yes, I can just do this. I’ve sent Scott to get groceries, some tissues with aloe so they’ll be gentler on your nose.” She was surprised at the tears that sprang to his eyes, wondering what she had said to get that response. “It’s okay Derek—you just rest now. We’ll look after you. That’s what pack is for, right?” He didn’t reply, just closed his eyes and relaxed under her touch.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in about four months but this has been bugging me for a little while. It's a bit of nothing really but I wanted to dedicate it to Ronnie Swanson because she has been a constant source of encouragement whilst I've been battling RL. Thank you sweetheart - may you always have someone to soothe your fevered brow.


End file.
